Designer admits Meghan Markle’s yellow dress owed to ‘a mistake’

Hello, yellow ... Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, wearing a Brandon Maxwell dress at an event in London on Thursday.Credit:PA

The designer of one of Meghan Markle’s most vaunted outfits has admitted the dress was the result of a “mistake” in the production process.

Brandon Maxwell, who created the yellow shift dress that won the Duchess of Sussex widespread praise, said the fabric was not intended to be that colour.

“I wasn’t sure [about the fabric], and the women in my office said they loved it and it was the colour of the season,” Maxwell told Fairfax Media on Thursday.

Trusting in his staff paid off, since the dress sold out immediately after the Duchess wore it to a Commonwealth youth event in London last Thursday.

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Still, Maxwell, 33, who has dressed Oprah and Michelle Obama, as well as served as Lady Gaga’s personal stylist, said what Meghan represents is more important than what she wears.

“Think about all the young women who look at her and see someone like her in that position. It’s so powerful,” he said.

First lady Michelle Obama worn one of Maxwell's designs at a 2016 State Dinner.Credit:AP

Maxwell, a huge fan of Princess Diana, said Meghan’s story has stirred similar emotions in him as Michelle Obama did when, as first lady, she wore one of his dresses to a state dinner in 2016.

“I always thought [about] what that meant for young women everywhere. I am not a young woman but I recognise that, I see myself in that, in the Michelle Obamas, in the Meghan Markles, to be part of that history – it’s not about the dress.

“I’m always proud when our brand has a ‘moment’ with women who I feel are similar to the women I started the brand for. It just didn’t seem possible from where I grew up that I could be here today – so it’s quite emotional.”

Fashion designer Brandon Maxwell, who made it to the finals of the International Woolmark Prize in New York .

Maxwell said, despite his profile as a stylist, he still considered himself somewhat green when it comes to design, three years after launching his label.

“Maybe it seems that way from the outside [that I am successful] but it doesn’t mean I feel that way. I am still an emerging brand, in there every day trying to pay the light bill,” he said. “I don’t wake up every day thinking everything is good. I wake up wondering what can I do better and do I matter.”

His Manhattan headquarters is staffed almost exclusively with women, something he says was a conscious choice but even more relevant in the age of #MeToo.

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“Maybe it was a reflection of things that happened to me growing up… I have had similar experiences in my life and that has led me to a life… that makes sure we are providing a safe working environment for women.”

As a Woolmark Prize finalist, Maxwell receives $70,000 to create his six-piece, wool-based collection, which has a heavy sport luxe aesthetic. The two overall winners, to be announced at the grand final in London in February, will receive $200,000. Maxwell said he would put the prize towards hiring new employees.